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More than half the Real Madrid team tried to stop Lionel Messi’s 40-yard run, but he shimmied between, around and beyond defenders before finishing deftly. It was his second goal of the semi-final. It was magnificent. Yet such a spellbinding goal has been almost forgotten because attention has turned to something even more extraordinary – the suggestion that the victory Messi’s goal sealed for Barcelona was the latest manifestation of a long-standing, international conspiracy. Astonishingly, Real coach Jose Mourinho’s accusation that Barca have received favourable treatment from referees over several years has been taken seriously.